The NYT recently published an op-ed by writer Anna Marks -- who identifies as queer -- and it's titled, "Look What We Made Taylor Swift Do." The entire premise of the piece is a deep dive into speculation that TS might, perhaps, be something other than straight.

Marks refers to moments she perceives as Taylor "dropping hairpins" (aka, dropping clues about being LGBTQ+) throughout her career ... writing, "In isolation, a single dropped hairpin is perhaps meaningless or accidental, but considered together, they’re the unfurling of a ballerina bun after a long performance."

She adds, "Those dropped hairpins began to appear in Ms. Swift’s artistry long before queer identity was undeniably marketable to mainstream America. They suggest to queer people that she is one of us." If it sounds like a reach, Taylor's camp seems to feel the same way.

While Taylor has certainly proven herself to be ally to the LGBTQ+ community, she's never explicitly indicated she's into anything but dudes -- in fact, her dating record proves that.

That point was hit home by someone close to Taylor, who told CNN ... "Because of her massive success, in this moment there is a Taylor-shaped hole in people’s ethics. This article wouldn’t have been allowed to be written about Shawn Mendes or any male artist whose sexuality has been questioned by fans."

This person adds, "There seems to be no boundary some journalists won’t cross when writing about Taylor, regardless of how invasive, untrue, and inappropriate it is -- all under the protective veil of an ‘opinion piece.'"

There have, in fact, been think pieces written about male pop stars and their sexuality ... namely, Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, etc. But this point is well taken -- just leave it be, people.